I took my first swim lesson last night.
Huh?
See, I've never actually learned to swim with proper strokes and form. There was really no opportunity for being on a swim team or anything like that growing up, so my "swimming" is really just glorified doggie paddling, or whatever the fancier name for that is. I did take swim lessons as a child, but they were the type that taught you stuff about how to not die in the water.
So for 30 minutes last night I did all sorts of drills to help get me started for proper swimming. It was fun, I was tired when it was over, and only once did I suck sufficient water into my nose to make me cough. I need a lot of practice with timing my breathing and with keeping my face completely in the water. Oh--and a pair of goggles that fits my face. I borrowed Peter's, and while they sealed, the eye cups kept poking me in the eye area near my nose. I think they were just a little too large for me.
In total last night I swam either 14 or 16 laps; I can't quite remember if I did this one drill 4 times or just 2. Each lap is 25 yards, and 18 laps was a 1/4 mile according to the chart on the wall. So in total I was somewhere under 1/4 mile, and of course this was with starts and stops since these were all drills. The good news was that I kick properly, from the hip and not from the knee. The bad news was I suck at everything else. :-)
I had this weird water induced vertigo when I got out of the pool, or at least I am hoping that is what it was from. I was stumbling around like a drunk person for the first few minutes out of the pool. My next lesson is next week.
I plan to keep my experiment quiet at least for now. Not so much because I am embarassed or anything like that, but mostly because we have this one friend that just knows the best way to do EVERYTHING, and while I love her, the thought of listening to another speech about how her dad taught her proper swimming just makes me want to throw up. This is the same chick that had way too much weight on her bar for the Body Pump class and had terrible form as a result AND pulled a muscle in her neck. But her dad showed her how to lift weights, so she knows it all...blah!
3 comments:
Good for you! 14-16 laps is really impressive! I was laughing at myself when I started reading your post because - since it was about swimming - I thought it was Sarah writing. It wasn't until I got to the bit about Peter's goggles that I said "Peter who?" and checked who had written. Was this at Brick Bodies? I didn't realize they offered adult swim lessons.
I know what you mean about the water vertigo. I get that when I get out of the pool too. I always figure that it is because I adapt to being much lighter weight when I am in that water that the shock of my ACTUAL weight with ACTUAL gravity knocks me over.
Good for you!
Yes--the BB in Reisterstown. I picked up a business card from the aquatic director and emailed her that I wanted to swim for exercise, but that I wanted to do it properly and could she pair me with an instructor. They have a program too called the Masters, where it is like swim practice but you don't compete, etc.
Love the theory on the water vertigo! Dang gravity!
Good for you!!! I'm impressed that you only sucked in water enough to choke yourself once. I think I did it at least six times my first time back in the water.
It takes me a few minutes to get my land legs back after swimming for a while too. Trying to look cool in front of the college aged lifeguards while pulling the bathing suit out of my butt crack while attempting to get my flip flops back on while simultaneously NOT falling down is a trick I have yet to master.
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